Shoemaking



March 1950 v. L. KNEELAND 2,499,510

SHOEMAKING Filed March 9, 1948 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 I3. 4' jdnvmvrox.

March 7, 1950 v. KNEELAND 2,499,510

' SHOEMAKING Filed March 9, 1948 5 Sheqts-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

March 7, 1950 v. L. KNEELAND SHOEMAKING s Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed March 9, 1948 INVENTOR.

Patented Mar. 7, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SHOEMAKING Verne L. Kneeland, Manchester, N. H. Application March 9, 1948, Serial No. 13,829

7 Claims. 1

This invention consists in a new and improved process of making shoes more accurately and more economically than heretofore. While it may be applied with particular advantage to the manufacture of two-piece slippers, it is not in any sense limited to that or any specific type of shoe, but is of more general application.

The process of this invention is characterized by the steps of gauging the counter portion of the upper by gauge clamps on the last or form itself which hold the counter with its top line accurately located and its marginal edge projecting above the last bottom and then, while these parts are so held, presenting the heel end of an insole within the projecting outline of the it has been possible to secure when the more-or less uncertain assembling operation is relied upon. The inner surface of the counter is brought up more uniformly and continuously to the contour of the last and to the margin of the insole and fastened more securely in that position than when the rear portion of the upper is located by one or two tacks driven in the usual assembling operation and the draft of a pullingover machine is relied upon to bring about the desired contour of the upper. advantage of eliminating the assembling operation is that the necessity for driving tacks through the counter portion of the upper'is entirely avoided.

Another advantage of the process of the inven tion is that the insole is located upon the last bottom more accurately than heretofore, and that the insole tacking operation is reduced to one or two tacks in the forepart of the insole. It will be understood that the heel seat and adjacent portions of the insole are accurately gauged on the last bottom by the upstanding walls of the counter, which include the usual counter stiffener, and that'all that is required in addition to this is a single tack at the toe of the insole. The process of the invention accordingly results in a substantial saving of tacks as well as a reduction in the time and extent of the ins-ole tacking operation.

Incidentally, an

2 vention is that the draft on the forepart of the upper in the pulling-over operation is substantially improved over that to which the upper is subjected when its partially formed counter portion has been merely secured to the last by tacks used in the assembling operation. This is because the rear end of the shoe is completely formed before the pulling-over operation takes place. v 1

- While the precise nature of the gauging clamps is of secondary importance, I prefer to provide for this purpose sheet metal wings which may be attached to the sides of the cone of the last in combination with gauging edges or points which contact with the top line of the counter and locate it accurately in the pr p position on the .last.-..:" a

Preferably. and hereinshown, the

"ofthe upper is attached to the insole in the shank thereof before the insole is presented upon the last bottom. Accordingly, the heel seat nailing step of my improved process accurately and permanently. establishes the counter, insole and forepart or vamp of the shoe permanentlyin the -final relation they willcccupyin the finished shoe; which'it may be readily finished by the conven- .The shoe is'thu's brought to the stage-at tional steps of side-lasting, toe-lasting and soleattaching.

These and other features of the invention will be best understood and appreciated from the following description of a preferred manner of carrying it out illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a view in elevation of a last or a form showing a counter in gauged position thereon,

Fig. 2 is a view in perspective of an assembled insole and vamp,

Fig. 3 is a plan view showing the parts of the shoe as they appear after the heel seat lasting operation,

Fig. 4 is a corresponding view in side elevation,

Fig. 5 is a view in vertical section illustrating the wiping and tacking mechanism of a heel seat lasting machine, and

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the same.

The process of this invention may be carried out by the employment of a counter which is lined or unlined, but it is essential that it includes a stiifening medium of some kind. The counter herein shown comprises an outer integument l0 usually of leather, a counter stiffener I I usually of moldable fibre, and a lining l2 which is stitched to the finished edge of the counter Another advantage of the process of this in- 55 through the medium of arolled edge. The counter as a whole is preferably given a preliminary is shown the heel portion H! of a last having the usual thimble I 4 and equipped with a gauge-plate l5 and a resilient clamping plate It. A gauge plate [5 is secured to the cone of the last on each side thereof in position to gaugethecounterac curately by engaging its forward curved finished edge, thus determining with extreme :ac'curacy both the proper location of the finished edge of the counter in the completed shoe and the proper distance by'which the unfinished margin of .the counter should extend-beyond or above the heel -seat portion 13 of the last. .Pref-erablyiand 'a-s herein shown, each clamping .plate 16 and :its associated gauge ,plate- I 5 are secured to :the last by screws 11, .but it will be understood these elements maybe separately attacheddfpreferred. In carrying out the first step of the process the counter is merely wrapped around theihee'l end of the last and secured thereon in-curved and gauged position by the resilient clamping plates l-B.

vIn Fig. .2 is shown an'insole :andwamp prop- --erly prepared .for=use in carryingout .theproc- .1358 .of the invention. The .insoleglflB rmay .be .;of any usual construction and may be of full length,

.nr preferably it may terminate :as shown :inlFig. ""zfatia-bout the forward-end ."ofithe shank. The

"upper 19 maybe "assembled with :the iinsole zin gauged relationand secured in position bystaples -20 driven into the-insoleat substantially its narrowest part through the rear corners ;:of :the vamp.

The .next step of the process tconsists inipresenting the rear end of the insole to .thelast bottom, moving it rearwardly between the upstanding walls ofthe counter which-serve accurately to guide the insole into exactly the proper position on the last bottom and to secure it against displacement during "the "ensuing :steps "(if the process. The fact "that "the whole rear end of the insole is :thus positively located obviates the necessity of the usual insole tacks.

This usually necessary in'carryin'g'out'the 'process of my invention'to supplement the hold of 'the counteron the insole only "by a sin'gle'ztack driven near the forward end of the insole.

PI-laying thus located the counter, insole and vamp upon the last in the desired relationjthe next step of the process comprises aheel seat lasting operation, and "this -may be ca'rried out isati's'factorily'in any heel seat'lastin'g machine available to the industry, for example, that shown in U. S. Patent No. 2,059,241, November 3, 1936, J. C. Jorgensen.

"The heel seatlasting operation is illustrated in Figs. 5 and6 in-which areshown 'theessen tia'l operating elements of "the machine-of thispatent. They inc'lude a 'jack'post 3i) carrying :'a block 31 adjustable (upon a curved support andcarrying "a spindle '32 'whichfits'int'o the thimble of "the last -13. Disposed vertically above the jack: when cthe latteris'in operative position is a -holddown .member 33 whichaengages theinsole l8 upon the 4 last bottom and accurately determines the height of the last and the counter clamped thereto with respect to the wipers.

The machine includes in its organization a heel band 34 for embracing and clamping the upper about the heel end of the last, wipers 36 for wiping the marginal portion of the counter inwardly over the insole, and means for driving tacks through openings in the wipers to fasten 'theupper. The jack 30 is moved'by power means not'shown tocarry the lastrearwardly into position to be embraced by the heel band, and then upwardly to force the insole firmly against the holddown 33. The heel band may be formed, for example, of leather molded in approximate conformity'to the contour of the heel end of the last, but sufliciently flexible to conform to small variations in the contours of shoes of different sizes and styles. About the contour of the heel band are provided a series of movable blocks .35.,one of which is shown in Fig. 5, and these are operated at the .proper time in-the cycle of the machine to compress the heel band forcibly and conform the counter accuratelytothe contour of the .last 13.

Eachof .the two wipers '36 is secured to a tack block 45,from-which tacksare driven through openingsfin the wipers to fasten the upper in lasted position. Oneof these openings is shown .at 46 .in Fig. .5. Each wiper has thereon an upstanding flange 41 which cooperates with a plurality of-sprin-g pressed tack fingers 43111101111td .inrecessesinthe tack block 45 to-provide pockets for receiving the tacks, Each tack block has tongue and groove connections ts and fit with one oithe wiper carriers 31 whichsupports it. iflhese .tongueand groove connections .are. curved .sathat :the-tackjblockand the wiper attached thereto -may beconveniently disconnected from the wiper carrier by sliding the tack block forward. Each tack block is secured'to the wiper carrier '31 by means-of a screw 5| which may be conveniently removed from above when the wipers are in their closed position as illustrated in,Fig. 6.

The .two wiper carriers 3'! are supported on a slide 38 movable forwardly and rearwardly along guidewaysi-n themachine frame, and each carrier is guided for 'movementabout a central vertical axis indicated at X in Fig. *6 by means of a'tongue 39 which projects downwardly from the-earriers intoa circular groove 40 in slide 38. The wiper carriers are'confined onitheisiido .38 bya cover plate 43. The slide 38 is moved forward to impart to the wipers their advanci-ng movements lengthwise of thelast by mechanism not herein shown. Closing movement is imparted to the wipers through links 32 which are connected to the respective wipers 'by' pins 4| as shownin Fig. 6.

The "tacks for fastening the heel end of the upper in lasted position are driven by a plurality of rtackdrivers :52 operating in passagesin the tack :block and arranged in an outline corresponding to that 10f the heel seat of the shoe. The drivers 52 are'secured at their upper ends in 'curved driver blocks "53 movabl in a curved recess provided .in the tack block. Accordingly, each driver block: 53-ismovable with the wipers as the ,latter are advanced and closed in over the :shoe bottom. Tacks are supplied to the driver passages through flexible tubes 55.

In operation the last I3, with the counter clamped and gauged in position thereon, is placed .npon the-spindle132. 1.The jack is moved forcibly end of the shoe and mam 36 are then advanced and closed. This opera-.

tion may be repeated more than once if desired g,

and the jack again slightly elevated between the strokes of the wiper. eration has been satisfactorily completed, the drivers 52 descend and tacks are driven through the overwiped margin of the counter and clenched against the iron bottom of the last.

In this operation the forward corners of the counter are brought in above the rear ends of the vamp l9 and may be tacked in that position by tacks 2!. This in effect completes the rear it may now be passed directly to the pulling over machine and completed by the conventional operations usually followed from that point in shoemaking.

Having thus disclosed my invention and described one illustrative manner of carrying it out, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. The shoemaking process which comprises the steps of curving the counter portion of an upper about the rear end of a last, gauging the upper as to height, presenting the rear end of an insole to the last bottom between the upstanding walls of the said counter portion, and then heel seat lasting and tacking the said counter portion.

2. The shoemaking process which comprises the steps of securing the stiffened counter portion of an upper to the side walls of an inverted last, gauging the finished edge of the upper on the cone of the last to present the marginal edge of the upper projecting as a stiff wall upstanding about the heel seat of the last, locating the rear end of an insole on the last bottom within the wall furnished by the counter portion of the upper, and then heel seat lasting the said counter portion and tacking it to the insole.

3. The shoemaking process which comprises the steps of clamping an unmolded counterto the rear end of a last-shaped form with its margin projecting a gauged distance beyond the bottom of the form, engaging the counter with a flexible heel band and forcibly conforming it to the contour of the form, inserting an insole When the wiping D- between the sides of the conformed counter, and then heel-seat lasting the counter.

4. The shoemaking process which comprises the steps of clamping a counter to the rear end of a last with its margin projecting a gauged distance beyond the last bottom, conforming the counter to the contour of the last, gauging to the upstanding walls of the counter an insole having a vamp fastened at its rear corners to the shank of the insole, heel-seat lasting the counter and bringing its forward corners inwardly above the vamp, and then tacking the corners of the counter to the insole.

5. A shoemaking process which includes the steps of securing a lined counter to the rear end of a last by gauging and clamping devices which project from the opposite sides of the con of the last, then conforming the counter to the contour of the last by a flexible band that yields to enclose the gauging and clamping devices, and finally heel-seat lasting the counter while thus held in conformed condition.

6. The shoemaking process which comprises the steps of nailing the flange of a molded counter to the heel-seat end of an insole while leaving free the forward corners of the counter, bringing the rear corners of a vamp into lapping relation with the corners of the counter, and then inserting metallic fasteners through the lapping corners of the counter and vamp and also through the insole beneath them.

7. A shoemaking process including the step of uniting the heel seat and shank portion of an insole to the flange of a molded counter portion while leaving free the forward ends of the counter portion, locating the rear corners of a Vamp in gauged position beneath the ends of the counter portion, and then driving metallic fasteners through the ends of the counter portion, the vamp and the underlying portion of the insole substantially at the narrowest part of the shank.

VERNE L. KNEELAND.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,444,675 Eddins et a1. Feb. 6, 1923 1,719,279 schliekr July 2, 1929 2,165,361 Engel et al July 11, 1939 2,235,086 Russell Mar. 18,1941 2,293,245 Duplessis Aug. 18, 1942 2,344,458 Colella Mar. 14, 1944 2,387,351 Quinn Oct. 23, 1945 2,449,216 Gordon et al Sept. 14, 1948 

